​John Mellencamp was recently in town, and I got the opportunity to spend the afternoon with his band and experience their sound check and talk with a number of them. John was not around, but I got a chance to talk with the members of his band. The one thing that I came away with after spending time with them and talking with them was that music is a lot more than just a way for them to make money; it is their passion.

A few months ago, I connected with John E. Gee, the bass player for John Mellencamp, and we got talking about touring and what that experience was like, so he invited me to spend the afternoon with the band and to spend some time just hanging out with them.

All the members of the band are in their 50’s and loving music more than the day they started. Because John Mellencamp is the headliner for this group, and the band stays in the background, they know most people will never even know their name. But they play music because they are able to do something that they absolutely love doing and they are passionate about playing music and engaging with the fans. They admitted to me that the day they stopped loving it, they would pack it up and go home. It isn’t about the touring and the fun— it is all for their love of playing music.

When they found out that I own a music school, they looked me square in the eye and made me promise to tell all of our students that music is about passion. It comes from the heart, no matter what you are doing with your music. If you are playing on stage in front of thousands of people every night or if you are playing at your home for your parents or if you are just playing in your room, it is about the love that you have for your instrument and for the love of making music.

I walked away from my time with them with a renewed energy to share this message with our students and to encourage you to put passion and energy and heart into your music!

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Jen Hickle, Author,

Hi! I'm Jen Hickle. I started Rogers School of Music when I was newly married and finishing my music degree. I LOVE music, I love education and I also love writing! This blog is where you can get to know me a little better and I can share my love of education and music and personalities, as we tailor music lessons to each individual student!